Dracu-Riot Saga Part 1: Inamura Rio
Entry posted by Arcadeotic
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[WARNING]
[This entry will have massive amounts of bias in it. If you don't want to hear me gushing about Dracu-riot, I'd suggest you turn around right now. Also spoilerz.
You have been warned]
Inamura Rio is your pure, kind-hearted, big-breasted kouhai. She seems like a rather shallow personality, who only wants to take care of everyone in the dorm and doesn't understand perverted topics. However, throughout the route, Rio, little by little gets more depth in a curve, that isn't too slow nor too fast. I'll elaborate.
Honestly, all the heroines don't really get any development in the Common Route aside from Miu until the showdown with ”L” drug dealer. In this case Rio's version of that scene honestly is the most disappointing in the surface. It does give a hint about her original vampire power, but that's it.
The string of events where Rio is sick is very ”cookie-cutter”. It's basically strengthening bonds by having Yuuto take care of her. The exchanges between the two in this are nice and heart-warming. There's also this:
The point there on out is the ”avoidance” part when one of the two realizes they have feelings for the other. It's a really well-used trope in VNs, and this certain one follows the same pattern. Not to say this trope is bad, it's a good way to get to the relationship in one swoop.
The dating part there on after is mushy as it'll ever get. The first date is a really good example of how a first date is catered to a certain character's persona. There's also some funny moments, enhanced by Rio's own pureness and airheadedness. The first H-scene is pretty tame and boring actually, but it brings out their love for eachother much better than the most H-scenes I've seen. It's a pretty ”feel-good” H-scene.
As their relationship progresses, we're getting to the more ”heavy” part of the route. There's disbelief, doubt and fear. As Yuuto and Rio slowly start to unravel the truth about their true identity, a lot of serious things happen. Yuuto's kidnapping, how Rio saved him, how Rio lost all faith in himself and disappears to protect her dorm mates and most importantly, Yuuto. This part is actually really well constructed. The way they reval everything slowly and change perspectives back and worth really lets you know how both of them feel on the inside. The solution of this event, ”What is it that you desire?”, all of this executes smoothly and literally Yuuto flies to Rio's rescue, preventing her suicide attempt and saving her from hired goons.
Honestly, I would've been satisfied with this route if it had ended here. All of the factors were in place for it to count as an ending and I would've called it an great ending with ups and downs, action and SoL. But it isn't.
Their relationship deepens even more, and after two amazing H-scenes, they're starting to catch wind on who is behind this all. All clues point towards doctor Hasuzawa Shouzaburou, a leading professor in lycanthrophy recearch, a vampire, who has been missin for several years. His assistent has been caught and after Yuuto questioned her, he starts to doubt Hasuzawa's part in this. A little research and SoL mushyness later Yuuto figures out that lycanthropes absorb their vampire prey's memories, along with their power. But before the main culprit is relvealed, Dr. Ougi calls them to a hospital visit.
Next part is the biggest spoiler of the whole route.
There, when they see Ougi, Yuuto figures out that Ougi is a lycanthrope, and the one who gave Hasuzawa's assistant directions, in the disquise of the professor himself. You hear that Ougi was one of the test lycanthropes in the research of Hasuzawa, testing lycanthrope's abilities. There he devoured countless vampires with lowly lives and flimsy morals, such as a vampire ”who sveared to love his wife forever whilst having sex with his blood-related sister”. There on out Ougi destroyed the whole facility, thus putting an end to it all, also saving Rio and Yuuto from the same fate. Their lycanthrope genes came from Ougi.
After the matter is resolved, Rio and Yuuto make a promise to get married to eachother. They bite each other to dissolve their lycanthrope powers, but also make their consciousnesses join as one in one of the most beautifuul scenes I've seen in a long time. After the credits roll, we get a tiny scene where the two get married, closing this route with my ideal ending.
This whole sequence blew my mind. This was honestly the biggest twist I never saw coming in a long time, and the events following that make this one of my favorite endings to an SoL route ever. It's so phenomenal. It made this route go from above average to fantastic. I really, really loved it.
This might be my new favorite route from this game. It's that good.
Rio is love, Rio is life.
Next up, Azusa.
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